Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity. The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.

The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?

From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hatred and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.

As an important note, when we take a Classical philosophical perspective, that of Aristotle, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, its actual appropriation in conflict situations, develops with practice.

Haw wondered why he had always thought that a change would lead to something worse.Now he realized that change could lead to something better.

“Why didn't I see this before?”he asked himself.

Then he raced through the Maze with greater strength and agility.Before long,he found a Cheese Station and became excited as he noticed little pieces of New Cheese near the entrance.

They were types of Cheeses he had never seen before,but they looked great.He tried them and found that they were delicious.He ate most of the New Cheese bits that were available and put a few in his pocket to have later and perhaps share with Hem.He began to regain his strength.

He entered the Cheese Station with great excitement.But,to his disappointment,he found it was empty.Someone had already been there and had left only the few bits of New Cheese.

He realized that if he had moved sooner,he would very likely have found a good deal of New Cheese here.

Haw decided to go back and see if Hem was ready to join him.

As he retraced his steps,he stopped and wrote on the wall:

The quicker you let go of old cheese,the sooner you find new cheese.

After a while,Haw made his way back to Cheese Station C and found Hem.He offered Hem bits of New Cheese,but was turned down.

Hem appreciated his friend's gesture but said,”I don't think I would like New Cheese.It's not what I'm used to.I want my own Cheese back and I'm not going to change until I get what I want.”

Haw just shook his head in disappointment and reluctantly went back out on his own.As he returned to the farthest point he had reached in the Maze,he missed his friend,but realized he liked what he was discovering.Even before he found what he hoped would be a great supply of New Cheese,if ever,he knew that what made him happy wasn't just having Cheese.

He was happy when he wasn't being run by his fear.He liked what he was doing now.

Knowing this,Haw didn't feel as weak as he did when he stayed in Cheese Station C with no Cheese.Just realizing he was not letting his fear stop him,and knowing that he had taken a new direction,nourished him and gave him strength.

Now he felt that it was just a question of time before he found what he needed.In fact,he sensed he had already found what he was looking for.

He smiled as he realized:

It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In A Cheseless Station

Haw realized again,as he had once before,that what you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine.The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.

He'd been so afraid of never finding New Cheese that he hadn't even wanted to start looking. But since starting his journey,he had found enough Cheese in the corridors to keep him going. Now he looked forward to finding more.Just looking ahead was becoming exciting

His old thinking had been clouded by his worries and fears.

But that had changed in the days since he had left Cheese Station C.

Now he realized it was natural for change to continually occur,whether you expect it or not change could surprise you only if you didn't expect it and weren't looking for it.

When he realized he had changed his beliefs,he paused to write on the wall:

Old Beliefs Do Not Lead You To The New Cheese

Haw hadn't found any Cheese yet,but,as he ran through the Maze,he thought about what he had already learned.

Haw now realized that his new beliefs were encouraging him to behave in a new way.He was behaving differently from the way he had when he had kept returning to the same cheeseless station.

He now knew that when you change what you believe,you change what you do.

You can believe that a change will harm you and resist it.Or you can believe that finding New Cheese will help you,and embrace the change.

It all depends on what you choose to believe.

He wrote on the wall:

When You See That You Can Find New Cheese,You Change Course

The idea of low material desire, low consumption and refusing to work, marry and havechildren, concluded as a“lying down”lifestyle, recently struck a chord with many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly-competitive society.

Many millennials(千禧一代)and generation Zs complained to the Global Times that burdens, including work stress, family disputes and financial pressure, have pushed them“against the wall”. They said they hate the“involution(内卷)”, joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get trapped in an endless competition against peers.

“Instead of always following the’virtues’of struggle, endure and sacrifice to bear thestresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as catharsis(宣泄)and adjustment,”said ascholar. “It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to house costs today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”

Interestingly, the majority of millennials and Gen Zs reached by the Global Times, whoclaim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, admitted that they only accept a temporarylying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youths have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear toomuch hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who liedown always feel guilty about their constant loss of confidence in pursuing the dreams beyondtheir reach.

“Young people on campus have both aspirations and confusion about their future, butmost of us have refused to set ourselves up in chains to waste opportunities and challenges,”apostgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’and face the reality sooner or later.”